http://pastebin.com/mWrxJJPr
>>25972324
Post sheets.
>>25972339
http://pastebin.com/9b8V91CB
>>25972339
http://pastebin.com/6dTx6i08
>>25972339
http://pastebin.com/RaZG8KLM
>>25972339
http://pastebin.com/5VUcBRQx
>>25972339
http://pastebin.com/p1dtY3qj
>>25972381
>>25972420
>>25972493
>>25972512
Last time on HolyQuest...
https://desustorage.org/mlp/thread/25855524/#25858162
Shortly after witnessing Flow and Ecc. D lose all color, turn red, and then fade from sight altogether, Dania, Observer, Flaming, and Amy entered a dark void through the telescope in the infinite observatory. From there, they ascended an invisible staircase toward the bizarre-looking stars and moon. They noticed that each step of the staircase was exactly wherever they expected it to be, as if the staircase was following their idea of what it should be like, just as the telescope did.
Eventually, the scenery cut to a new landscape: constricted, dark tunnels, the walls squishy, damp, and soft, as though made of living tissue. White flowers and mold dotted the walls, and lamp-like jellyfish drifted languidly above. Three tunnels extended before them: one leading toward the left, one toward the right, and one directly before them. They ventured down the middle tunnel, and saw a large circular wall with a crack running partially down the center, through which rotten-smelling water dripped.
There were two indentations in the wall at either side, one crescent, and one circular. Above the circular one was a faded square, where it looked like there used to be a drawing.
(1/3)
>>25972381
>>25972420
>>25972493
>>25972512
As you turn back, you notice that the tunnel back to that central chamber has changed slightly; the floor now has speckles of icy, broken cobblestone, reminiscent of the streets of Circadia. Embedded deep in the corridor are scraps of curtain and a few portraits which you remember seeing along the Hypnagogium's walls. The squishy walls contract around the portaits, and the drippings sluice their paint into a unrecognizable soup.
Sister Renee contains airy, flittering giggles. She makes watery dripping and splashing sounds as she stands around, watching each of you with her multitude of eyes. When they blink, each eye looks like a wryly-turned mouth, one which knows something very deep and secret about you.
>>25972433
>recap
The negotiation for the JOY addicts' lives took a turn for the worse as the blood moon rose. Those who did not receive vaccination, seven of the twenty-five who Splitz kept in captivity, began to sit up and smile feverishly, unnaturally. Pryce, as well as the unicorns on Splitz's landripper, began to feel odd combinations of tingly and energetic, in addition to feelings of something squirming in the gut. Strange sounds grew from the direction of the demon-run Ayakashi Salon...
-----
>now
The raiders of Splitz's crew reach for their ramshackle weapons, backing away at the sight of the advancing JOY addicts. The addicts' movements are sluggish, languid, almost casual and carefree, their grimacing smirks revealing teeth that have been hideously ground into yellowish nubs, mere fractions of the former selves.
Splitz raises his hoof, completely calm while nearby unicorns tug at their lips in vain attempts to undo their forced smiles. The other raiders back away at Splitz's gesture, casting worried glances at the addicts, and from the direction of the Ayakashi Salon, where a musical drone grows.
"You've got ten seconds." Splitz says, gesturing dismissively at you and the addicts.
(2/3)
>For goat
>recap
Shei and Volkama went to Volkama's study, a strangely well-preserved tower adjacent to the main spire of the Hypnagogium, surrounded by a long-dead garden. The inside of the tower was a mess, clearly used at some point as a hideout, evidenced by the barricades and horded magitech generators. At the top floor of the tower was an egg-like chair with a magitech headset, along with an arcance circle on the floor, and many books that looked to be on eldritch tomes. After an awkward and enlightening question about females, Shei was hooked up to the headset. With an ice-water chill dripping down his spine, Shei's consciousness slipped away as Volkama poured a sanguinous compound into a port on the headset...
---
>now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMX3aVbNdvo
>Shamelessly reposting
Light snow begins to fall on you as you enter a craggy ruined city, elegant stonework on the buildings, with rich, moth-eaten cloth rotting away on the ground. You've heard tell of stories of Old Kvestwic, the pride of griffondom, superior to all non-griffons, even on the ground. The ground is angular and unforgiving all around, forcing you to stand at awkward angles which hurt your ankles. The jagged ground is littered with eggshells, pieces of statues and monuments, and shattered weapons. Half-broken hippogriff statues gaze down at you in disapproval.
Around the town are dozens of impossibly steep mountains, screaming up from the ground at near-90 degree angles, the tops of which are obscured by far-off clouds. At the center of the sky is a crack, running down the middle. Most of the griffons tear at the crack to try to open it further, while others try to repair the crack. The two groups occasionally get into fights with one another. Though they are miles away, you feel them glaring down at you with repulsed disappointment, clearly expecting you to fix the crack, though there is no way to get up there.
>>25972625
>>25972653
>>25972512
>>25972381
>>25972420
>>25972493
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh_PzcwrX7U
music
>>25972653
"Wait a minute!" Amy says loudly as something of profound importance occurs to her.
>>25972653
"I do not think this is too wise... Whatever may be in here may also lead us to our doom." He says, using his Fourth Eye to see if there's anything beyond the crack.
>Fourth Eye
[1d10]
>>25972653
''Is this...Some sort of puzzle?'' Novelus wrinkled his nose at the foul smell, scanning the indentations carefully
''I don't suppose any of us has anything to remake the square drawing, do we?'' He turns to the others
>>25972774
''Hmn? What was it Amy?''
>>25972653
"Whoa whoa, calm down guys they're just delirious from recovering. This is great, everyone's better now!"
Pryce says dismissively, horn glowing as he lowers the crew's weapons for them.
>Telekinesis [1d10]
"I have however much time I need, I've been running around too much these past days."
Pryce retorts.
>>25972850
Amy looks around the room, sniffing and scrunching her nose at all the bad smells and weird sights.
"... Where are we?"
>>25972653
Shorthorns sticks close to her friends within the tunnel, her eyes darting back and forth in every direction as she tries to keep on guard in case of something trying to take her away as well.
She notices the way behind them has changed, and jumps at the new surroundings as she watches the horrific sights of the portraits melting.
"Th-this was back in the Hypnagogium... did we somehow come back? O-or did we just never leave? This place makes my head hurt, I hate it..."
She turns back around, clip-clopping against the broken cobblestone as she looks at the crack dividing the crescent and the circle. "This wall... what does it mean? They almost look like a moon and sun..."
She shakes her head at the foul smelling liquid, the scent offending her. "Disgusting."
>>25972822
"PLEASE don't say anything about 'doom'..."
>>25972850
>>25972774
She looks back towards Novelus, shaking her head, "A puzzle? I hope not... I do not know what deprived sense for puzzles demons have and don't want to know. Could it be one of the portraits?"
As Amy shouts 'wait a minute', she turns as well, "What is it Amy?"
>>25972918
She looks around, cringing, "I don't know... I guess the hypnagogium still, but, it looks nothing like it did... I don't like it, I'm going to go insane in here."
>>25972884
Novelus mimics her...
*Sniff sniff*
*Scrunchy scrunch*
...then shakes his head ''No idea, my dear''
>>25972903
''Hmn, I'm thinking we could either redraw that square above the circle, or draw a new square above the crescent...''
>>25972822
>>25972976
Amy makes a little whining sound and creeps over to Observer to poke him.
"Where are we?" she asks like a confused child sitting in the back seat of the car on a long road trip.
>>25972884
>>25972976
>>25973063
She tenses up.
"Wait... why are you asking us? We've been following YOU this whole time, Amy. You chose this tunnel!"
>>25973058
"I guess we could... does anyone have anything to draw with?"
>>25973080
''Well...If not...I supppose we will have to use blood...''
>>25973080
"Well yeah..." Amy says, looking around still. "But, you don't need to know where you are to know where to go!"
>>25972774
Ecc. B looks at you with a mix of desperate hope and confused worry, while backing away from the softly-giggling Renee. She looks quite disappointed and more worried when you ask where you are. "Words right out of my mouth." she laments.
>>25972822
Even with your augmented prying vision, a dense resistance meets you. You get the feeling of a long stretch of freezing ocean-water, between this room and whatever lies beyond it. The two spaces are bridged with a solid staircase. You hear a muffled, rhythmic humming, which reminds you of the humming of the Nanny, which you heard upon exiting Frost-Frost Peak. Dangerous as it may be, beyond the door is the most likely exit from this place.
>>25972903
>>25972850
>>25972774
"Splish, plip, ploop, doop, hmmhmmhmm..." Renne continues to giggle, swaying with an unseen breeze.
>>25972863
"I'm not the one counting down, bud-- it's them." Splitz warns with a tired sigh. The crew panic as you start to lower their weapons.
Two of the JOY addicts cringe and leap onto the unicorn jailer with the whip, jerking and springing onto her in an instant. The jailer shrieks and whips at them as the addicts gnaw at and swing her by her arms.
[1d10+4]
[1d10+4] addicts
[1d10+2] the jailer
The remaining addicts stand languidly in place, watching the spectacle. Some of the other raiders try to pry the addicts off the jailer.
[1d10+2] raiders
"That salon! It's coming right for us!" a raider in the crow's nest calls down from the above.
"We're moving." Splitz commands, deadpan. He rubs his temple and heads toward the helm.
>>25972671
Shei-sher stumbles awkwardly on the jagged ground. seeing the broken eggshells on the ground he is immediately repulsed, why he is Shei isn't sure. He turns his gaze skyward, his attention drawing on the griffons surrounding the tear in the sky. Shei-sher recognizes it as the firmament they destroyed what seemed so long ago.
He can't be urged to care for this judgemental feeling he is getting from the griffons afar. If he could go back and fix things Shei-Sher isn't even sure if he would repair the firmament. Though the rupture of the sky had let loose an irreversible havoc upon the world it was also the catalyst for freeing his people from the griffons. Even if Shei never quite got along with his own people even when he was their shepherd, he thought it was something to be proud of, especially in spite of the the kingdom of Mr'uthgar. And the invading demons have proved to be a unifying force for all races to band together for a common cause as evidenced by the existence of Acclessian vigilante groups. Though, if without the firmanent Gabriele and Ms. Punishment would still be with him. Shei-sher is a twinge ashamed for his indecisiveness on the matter. Maybe change is good, whatever happens Shei-Sher is fine with watching how things unfold.
Shei-sher stares toward the firmament and with steeled concentration remembers when he flew toward it in his astral body to board Providence.
[1d10+1] to fly up to the crack in the sky
>>25973063
"The mind of another being seems very... disturbing as you would put it. I have not quite fully understood how your kind's mind works, but we must be prepared for anything."
>>25973122
"It seems I have found our exit... But we must also be prepared to either fight or run for our lives. This is a door we can cross." Observer says, pointing out to the others the existence of the door her sees.
>>25973122
"Good to see everypony is getting along now that they're all healthy."
As Splitz says they're leaving, Pryce starts to lift the cured ponies he saved in his magic and onto his back.
"It's been nice. Hope you learned to be more careful around strange smoke from rockets."
Pryce bids goodbye as he steps off the ship with the cured ponies in tow, off to the city gate.
>>25973122
>>25973176
''Very good Observer...now, we only need something to draw a square in that wall...Let's use a bit of my blood'' He says, pulling out a knife, making a small cut on himself to draw blood and make a mark of a square on the wall, tracing the previously faded square
>>25973176
>>25973122
"So we ARE in someone else's mind?" Amy rhetorically asks as she absorbs the concept.
She looks over at Renee giggling. "Are we in YOUR mind!?" Amy asks as she bounces over to Renee to poke her. "Why are you laughing? Do our hooves tickle the inside of your head?"
>>25973118
"What the... of course you do!" Shorthorns shouts, frantic, tapping her legs rapidly in her nervous tic.
"I-I mean, can you imagine if buffalo just roamed wherever they wanted without knowing where they are first!? We could wind up in hostile lands or, or stampede right off a cliff, you know where you are going by knowing where you are!"
>>25973097
She gulps, shrinking down. "Not mine."
>>25973122
>>25973097
She looks at Renee with concern, her fur tensing up as she listens to Renee giggling insanely with her noises.
"A-ah alright, fine, we'll draw it in blood. This had better work, though..."
She looks to Novelus, taking the knife to cut, she stands up tall, "W-wait, I can offer my blood instead if you want, Novelus, I'm the warrior, I'm suited to it."
>>25973176
As the Observer points out the crack being a door, she sighs with relief, "Oh thank the spirits that is so much easier... so, we just go through it?" She looks at it hesitantly, "What's on the other side?"
>>25973158
Stiff, persistent cramps gnaw gently at your sides, near the shoulders. They remind you of intermittent growing pains. They soon dissipate into a dull throb, nearly unnoticeable.
With your astral prowess, you levitate toward the crack in the sky. Just as you pass by the platforms of Mr'uthgar, however, a large stiff object hits you from above, forcing you to crash land on a nearby platform. Behind you, sitting on a platform all by itself, is an enormous obsidian statue of a griffon, regal and feminine, despite the numerous scars raking her face. In her talons she clutches a gavel, which she apparently hit you with. She looks down at you and utters some unintelligible babble, in a scolding tone. She waggles her finger and taps the gavel, as if to suggest she's not afraid to do it again if you try to fly.
The architecture around you is familiar and yet not. It looks older, more primitive than what you're used to. The layout is unfamiliar to you, though is definitely that of Mr'uthgar. Crowley's tower is there, but empty and lifeless, missing all the usual vapors and sounds that it usually produces.
>>25973263
''No no, I will do it Flaming, don't worry your short horns over it now...''
>>25973254
"It may be her, when I was in Novelus' mind I had found an image of him. He has requested that I remain silent on mostly what has occurred within his mind."
>>25973263
"Doom"
>>25973311
Yes, and I would be thankful if things remained that way, my one eyed interdimensional friend''
>>25973292
She lowers her head as the cut is made, feeling ashamed at her own fear. "O-oh... if you're sure, Novelus. I'll take the next one."
>>25973311
She cringes, then flattens her ears and scowls, "I said NOT to do that!"
>>25973371
''Only if it is necessary, Flaming. A bit of blood will not be missed, my body will make more.'' He say as he draws the square, but glances back at her with a smile ''You sure seem to be acting protective of me, if I didn't know you, I would think you were afraid...'' He teases
>>25973371
"It was to make sure you were still on edge, your reaction time was average. You should work on that."
>>25973278
Shei sits up rubbing the pain away from the back of his neck. He faces the obsidian griffon before him. He takes the admonishment very personally for no apparent reason, but is inexplicably intimidated by her presence. After a bit of sitting Shei-Sher gathers the guts to say "I need to find the Phomesa!"
>>25973421
>>25973311
Amy snickers. "Secret secrets are no fun!" she says in a little sing-song tone to Novelus.
>>25973421
Shorthorns blushes, turning away with a grunt, "...I don't WANT to be afraid. I hate it. But, I want to keep you all safe... this place could take you at any second, I won't let it."
>>25973423
"What!?" She grunts, "My reaction time is NOT 'average'! Do it again."
>>25973491
"What if he has no more secrets? I can't imagine a better one than him pretending to be a girl... which is still really really weird."
>>25973176
>>25973241
>>25973263
Novelus cuts himself a bit and traces the shape of the square object as best he can. As he studies the shape and traces it, he notices many more minute details than he did before, as though his eyes gained a magnifying property. When he's finally finished with the drawing, it's a vaguely-impressive illustration of a broken chariot, some indistinct pony at the reins. Wild horse-fish-like beasts pull the chariot from ahead. Two chains extend from the back of the chariot to the circular indentation, as if pulling it in a circular arc around the wall.
The door creaks a little, and you hear the shifting of stone, like a locking mechanism. But then, the crack, and the wall remain still.
>>25973254
"Why... why? Oh. I'm not sure. But-- hmm, they've got it half-right. I can see keys now... Not far. Not far at all. Guarded, of course. Always are. This layout... it's foreign to me. These nightmares are not mine. But these things follow a pattern; they always do. A universal template. An interchangeable map." she says, looking first at the door's indentations and Novelus' blood-drawing, then back toward the central chamber with the three paths, which you arrived in.
>>25973182
The unicorn jailer lets out a bloodcurdling scream as bones snap and blood rushes. Splitz grimaces at the sight, but turns back at your words. A look of amusement takes him as you hop off the boat with the cured addicts in tow. "Good style, buddy. Leave on the high note. Take care of yourself..." he says with a full grin.
The addicts feel light as a feather in your telekinetic grip. From the Hypnagogium, you see two Ecclesians walking around, looking lost and confused. They stop and get into an argument in the street, gesturing wildly and nervously.
(1/2)
>>25973453
The platform beneath you rumbles a bit as you say Phomesa. An odd sensation of nostalgia sweeps over you. The architecture changes slightly; some of the buildings are now the abandoned brass-and-mushroom homes from Circadia. You feel as though something deep inside you recognizes the layout of the Mr'uthgar platforms. Like you could fly through them with your eyes closed.
The obsidian statue leafs through a religious-looking tome at your request. Just as she stops on a page with a look of recognition, a sheet of ice encases the book, rendering it useless. A yawn-like groan from above accompanies it.
The obsidian statue yawns and shrugs, uncaring. She then gestures at the town around you, as if inviting you to explore.
>Locations "remembered"
>Vaguely familiar house
>Crow-ley's tower
>Jailer's breakroom
>>25973491
He gives her a disaproving tone ''You already are aware of my Royal blood Amy, I'm sure that is a secret big enough...''
>>25973511
He chuckles ''Very well then, my Guardian'' he says in mocking tone
>>25973530
''Well...I could let you two n for another secret I have been holding on for a bit now...But you have to promise not to tell anyone!''
>>25973534
He blinks and looks at the drawing ''Huh...I did not know I had such inate artistic talents...'' He jokes before moving on to the crescent shape on the other side of the crack, he analyzes it very closesy, thinking of an aswer, but without the guidelines of the faded square like in the other shape, he is in doubt for a moment...
He did the most logical thing that crossed his mind and tried repeating drawing a square shape in the wall with his blood
''Let's hope I don't die of blood loss here...'' He comments grimly
>>25973534
Observer attempts to push the door open, preparing himself by trying to create a possible small spell breaker shield in case whatever is behind it attacks him.
>Spellbreaker
[1d10]
>>25973640
She frowns, "You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
Her eyes turn angry. "I don't like being made fun of you know."
>>25973640
Her eyes suddenly open wide, "Is it even better than the other one? You know, the boy one?"
>>25973534
>>25973640
After Novelus finishes his sketching of blood within the square, she turns to look at the newly formed picture of the chariot.
"That's interesting... I didn't see that picture before. It looks like it's pulling the circle..."
She looks at above the crescent, "A chariot pulling the sun... if the crescent is the 'moon' does it need a chariot too? Novelus, do you still have some blood to draw that again for the crescent?!"
>>25973551
Shei-sher is suddenly overcome with the homesickness he displayed the day after Prince Novelus's revealing. Shei-sher longs for the almost foetal comfort of his bedroom.
>>25973692
He smirks ''Whaaat? It's just playfully banter among friends, my dear Flaming~''
''Oh yes, I think you two might love this other secret...''
''And yes, I am already on it, Flaming...'' He says as he redoes the same steps from before
>>25973534
" 'Ey!"
Pryce shouts in greeting as he sees the Ecclesians in the street, fanning a wing out to wave as he continues walking
"No need to fight, mission accomplished!"
He gestures to the ponies he carries.
"Found the poisoned ponies, everything's all fine now!"
He says as he keeps walking towards the gate.
>>25973727
She grunts, "I don't feel in a very playful mood right now... my head still hurts and everything around us still makes me want to close my eyes."
She perks her ears up, "Buuuut I'd still like to hear this new secret." Her tail slightly wags behind her, excited, "What is it? OH! You're not really a sheep!?"
>>25973530
Amy eyes go wide as she gasps.
"What if he's actually a girl pretending to be a guy pretending to be a girl!?"
>>25973640
"I figured it out, didn't I!?"
>>25973534
Amy whines as the stone stops moving.
"Come oooooon. Open up for us! Pretty please?"
[1d10] for asking nicely?
>>25973818
She turns to Amy, the idea befuddling her, "Whuh? Then... wait, that means the first secret wasn't really a secret then, if she was a girl all along who was just pretending to be a boy pretending to be a girl?"
She whispers, "I'm betting: he's actually not a sheep but, like, a really hairy goat."
>>25973807
''Well, forgive me for trying to cheer up the mood...But if you are so interested in such a secret...I promise I will reveal it to you once we reach the end of this place, but you have to remain positive until then, understood? if i ever see your positiviness of us getting out in one piece and find out friends, then no secret for either of you!''
>>25973818
''Hmmmnmaaaaybeee...Maybe noooot, we'll find out once we get to the end of this!'' He snickers madly at his own charade
>>25973870
"No, see, she's actually not the prince. She's just pretending to be the prince for the real prince. But, the prince went missing. If the prince just came back, then that'd be suspicious. So, the prince has to be found first. That's what she's doing. She's pretending to be the prince pretending to be a girl so that when someone finds out she's not a girl, they'll think she's the prince. But, really, she's not the prince. She's just pulling the wool over our eyes!"
"Therefore, she must be a sheep! She can't have wool to pull over our eyes if she wasn't a sheep!"
>>25973885
"You are a mad genius!" Amy praises in awe. "Teach me your ways!"
>>25973640
>>25973692
>>25973683
>>25973818
>>25973683
Novelus transposes the drawing of the chariot for the crescent indentation, coming much easier this time. He feels a bit woozy at the loss of blood, but soon he recreates the drawing perfectly. The two drawings glow brightly, looking as though they may come to life at any moment.
In fact, they do. In the confines of the walls, the two figures at the reins whip at the horse-fish-like beasts and tug at the indentations, but they do not move. The riders look back in confusion at the indentations. They look like they're doing their darnedest to move them, but they do not move.
"The tunnels are moving... Shei-Sher is nearby." Renee remarks, feeling up the door and the two indentations. "This was but one step of our way to escape. I can hear them... the keys to our prison are calling to me, from down the tunnels. Shall I show you? But we must tread carefully, for feverish nightmare beasts guard them. Plip! Plip plop."
>>25973683
The smell of mold gets in your nose, distracting you from making the barrier.
(1/2)
>>25973885
Flaming lowers her ears and head, scowling.
"....okay. Okay, I'll stay positive. Is this okay?" She still looks fairly unsure and unnerved, but it has a fake cheesy smile to lighten it up.
>>25973945
Flaming falls on her rear, her head shaking.
"Ow.... ow. I'm not sure my brain got all that. So... she's really a girl, who's pretending to be a prince... but it's not the REAL prince... who's gone missing... and he was pretending to be a girl before because he was covering for the... prince?"
She looks up at Amy, brow raised. "That's crazy."
>>25973734
Your hoofsteps quicken, as even walking and running feel like effortless tasks. You recognize them as Ecc. A and F. They begin to chase after you.
"Pryce! Sir Pryce, wait! Are you feeling alright? You look far more... yellow than usual! We've lost the others I'm afraid. We were hoping they were with you. We've got to get out of here, but... you wouldn't know where they've gone, have you? Sir Ichimonji took the brat and the mimic chest to rig the tower with explosives in case we need to escape! W-wait up!"
When you head back to the front gate of the Sashayan Wall, you find that the front gate is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a thick sheet of black ice has completely encased it. The ice is too dark to see through. A small indent is in the ice, probably from the landripper's attempts to break through it. You see the landripper plowing over many houses in the distance, evidently trying to return back to the coast.
You hear the sounds from the direction of the Akayashi Salon more clearly now. A rhythmic, almost ragtime tune.
>>25973702
You float in the direction of Crow-ley's tower, finding the door ajar. In the middle of the room, many white, featureless shapes of griffons congregate. The majority sit in the main foyer, in many rows of chairs. At the front of the room, two elderly griffon shapes argue in unintelligible gibberish and cast fantastic magic. However, your attention is drawn to three figures in the front. An adult male, female, and a younger female. They are the only immobile figures in the room, their faces obscured by clouds of static. The male is hunched over and rather meek-looking, while the adult female is stiff-backed and has a powerful presence. The younger female leans forward, talons out in a grasping gesture at the magic happening in the front. Though familiar, you are certain you have never seen them before.
You hear a clacking of wooden limbs, and then all the griffons in the tower vanish, leaving it empty and cold once again.
>>25973945
Novelus Has to cover his face with his hoof as his lips tremble as he tries his hardest to not laugh at Amy's crazy genius theory ''Ppfftehehehe O-oh by the crown this is too good...''
>>25973990
Certainly a sweet dish will be good to get his blood back after this
''He is?...huh...Well Renne, lead the way then...''
He sighs with the regret of not keeping the chocolate caramel bar Viszla gave him before...
>>25973991
''It's a good start, now keep this up for me, alright?''
>>25973990
Flaming watches in amazement as the bloody recreations of the chariots spring to life, but her excitement fades as they fail to tug against the crack.
"What? No, no, we're so close! Pull harder, you can do it!" she tries to encourage the chariot pullers.
She looks to Renee, her brow furrowing, "You can hear the 'key's... you mean we have to go down the other tunnels, to get this doorway?" She gulps, "Great... I was more than happy with JUST this one... okay, we have to hurry. Everyone back, l-let's just get there and get out of here..."
She backtracks down towards the way they came, back towards the central fork where the tunnels split into three
"Let's go left this time?"
>>25974044
She keeps up her fakey smile, trying to keep a 'positive' demeanor.
She tries to imitate Amy's voice. "Oooookaaaaaay."
>>25973990
>>25974044
"We should focus on getting this door unlocked, not following this copy." He states, trying to figure out how to get the door to work.
>Engineering
[1d10+2]
>>25974095
>>25974090
>>25974045
''Perhaps Flaming is right, Observer...We could take a look at the other tunnels...''
>>25974002
"I feel great. Dandy. Spring in my step."
"The others? Can't say I saw them. Ran off one way when I went to get these fellows on my back."
Pryce stops at the ice, cocking his head side to side as he looks through the ice.
"Hmm, just make a mess to melt my way through it. And I'd get these sickies all wet too, wouldn't help their condition any."
"I'm sure you'll find them, they have to be somewhere after all. I'll be back after I get these guys somewhere."
Pryce says to the two Ecclesians as he spreads out his wings to fly over the gate on his way to the ship.
>>25974002
Shei enjoys the commotion within the tower for the moment. The griffons vanish and suddenly Shei-sher feels disappointed. He climbs the Tower up to his room.
>>25973991
"That's why it's the perfect cover!" Amy says like a crazed conspiracy theorist.
>>25973990
"I get it!" Amy says. "It's like one of those games on the things where you have to go fetch the things before you can move on through the big thing! So, we should go back right? Lead the way!" Amy says dramatically.
>>25974226
"I guess that would be pretty hard to figure out on your own... so, it would be a good cover, but it still sounds completely crazy, though! I almost couldn't follow it at all. You might even confuse the prince and Novelus... Dania... whichever it is, and they're the ones that are supposed to be following the plan."
>>25974226
>>25974113
"Right, like, a scavenger hunt where you need to find the items in a certain order. Whoever's mind this is must focus on a lot of things at once."
>>25974095
"Renee may not be all here anymore, but, I think she has a point: there may be more needed to open this cursed door than what we've seen."
>>25974095
The door, you discover, is a semi-magical construction, which reeks of the magic which you detected after being forced into Novelus' mind. But, this magic is mixed with a more primitive, unsophisticated form of power completely foreign to this world, both similar to the power you gained from Orcus, yet entirely different. A dark, heavy power which is not prone to flights of fancy. To get through the door, it seems you would either need to find the 'keys' Renee mentioned and stick them into the indentations, or somehow convince this door that you procured the keys. Such an effort would be complex and risky, however.
>>25974044
>>25974045
>>25974226
Renee shivers slightly as a bitter chill passes through the tunnels. Each of you can see your breath in the air. The constricted tunnels force you to walk single-file behind Renee.
Eventually you reach a medium-sized room with four exits, arranged in a cross-shape. Fifteen statues of eyes are arranged in three rows in the room. Renee gasps in fear as she sees them and stops in place. The eye-statues, and the eyes on Renee's body, roll around in circles for a few seconds, then stop. Each eye appears to be looking in a different direction than before, but each of them is looking in a cardinal direction.
Something is odd about the directions of the eyes, however.
>>25974153
When you get to the floor of the tower which should be your room, you are only met with a floor that has been stuffed full of dusty boxes. The room is nigh-unrecognizable, missing all the amenities which you are familiar with. There is no indication that you, or anyone else, ever lived in here. On one of the boxes, you find a to-do list with a long list of scratched-out scribbles. Only one entry is legible: "Invest in slave; talks of uprising among goats, three died in fight with auctioner; need YOUNG slave one without their influence; one ew in pen is preg; Def buy it; will be useful"
(1/2)
>>25974118
Ice particles begin to accumulate upon your wings as you fly up above the ice-encased wall, but they do not slow you down any. In fact, you're faster than ever! The protests of the Ecclesians below soon fade as you make your way back to the airship. In a blur, you are back in the barracks, where Onion tends to the unconscious River Spring, serenading her with a strummed piece.
"Seen Splitz?" he greets you simply.
>>25974113
"I advise against venturing anywhere away from an exit in this place, you do not know what you could find here."
>>25974294
>>25974302
"Yes... well... I still do not believe this is a good idea following the advice of an illusion."
>>25974346
"'An illusion'? Renee isn't an illusion, she's just... lost her head. Literally."
>>25974302
Flaming jumps as the eyes all begin to roll around, "GAH! What are they doing now?!"
She turns to look at Renee as she freezes in terror, perking up her brow, "Renee...? Do you what these are? What's going on?"
She looks at the eyes, trying to see if there's an odd pattern about them as they each look in their various cardinal directions
[1d10]
>>25974302
NOvelus stares at the statues, then Renne, then back at the statues, scratching the soft wool of his head in confusion ''Okay now I am a bit lost...''
>>25974346
''I'm certain that if we stick close together, no harm will come to us...I hope...''
>>25974302
Censored for quality
>>25974320
Pryce starts to lay down the ponies in an orderly fashion in the nearest empty space.
"Splitz? Yea, had a chat with him, worked a deal to get these ponies back.Still has some in his care but they started to look better when I left."
Pryce stretches after they're all placed down.
"It feels good to have this all done and taken care of."
He steps over to Onion and River.
"How 'bout you two?"
>>25974302
Shei-sher is once again dissapointed when he arrives at his room. Seems he can't even afford comfort in his dreams. He rumages through the boxes curiously and finds the to-do list.
Shei-sher doesn't know what to think when reading it. "Is this.. Crowley's?" Shei-sher is suddenly becomes very sad at the thought of having been purchased, like something disposable. Despite his eccentrics, Crowley is dear to Shei and is fond of their relationship.
Shei is overcome with with nauseous feeling, his throat gags as he tries to contain vomit. Shei runs out of his room, as he holds his mouth. He recites the words "I want to leave I want leave" in his thoughts
>requesting to leave to Vaguely familiar house
>>25974302
"Why are you gasping?" Amy asks Renee with concern. "Did you forget how to breath? I hate it when that happens..."
>>25974586
"She's not gasping because of that, she's just... wait..." she stares at Amy, "...do YOU forget how to breath sometimes?"
>>25974623
Amy blushes. "I mean... It may have happened once or twice..."
She kicks the ground awkwardly.
>>25974390
>>25974416
>>25974346
>>25974586
Flaming notices that each and every single eye is pointing in a direction OTHER than east, which is the tunnel to the right. They point in every cardinal direction except for that one.
Renee stumbles back against the wall, then regains her hoofing. "Mmm. They were STARING at me." she mutters indignantly. Ecc. B just slaps her forehead and positions herself as far away from Renee as possible.
>>25974553
You lay them in the room's barracks, which has more than enough room to house each of them. Onion sets down his guitar and peeks at River's head-bandages again. "Good as we can. Wish that Volkama feller'd sprung for some kinda heater. Mighty cold in here. Mmm. But you look like you done lost a fight with a beehive. You lookin'... puffy. Bigger than usual. Like that Volkama. You lift in the time y'been gone?"
>>25974582
A strange amount of color begins to seep into the world as you float down familiar streets. It begins to warm, where before it was very drab and cold. Almost hot, like a harsh summer midday. Strange recognition seeps over you as you head into the residential district, and find one door ajar. The hum of a magitech air-cooler meets you. It's a smaller house in a cluster of apartments, structured like a treebranch.
On the wood floor you see the young griffon, laying before a collection of drawings. Her face, obscured by static, begins to come into focus. The static fades, and color enters her body.
A lightness overtakes your body. You feel yourself go limp and your spirit lifts out of its shell, via a force beyond your control. Your spirit moves into the young griffon's body, and you see the drawings through her eyes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWixE_2_CE
http://pastebin.com/BvRw8Lft
>>25974640
She flicks one ear up and the other down, "H-how? That's the hardest thing I can imagine how to forget is breathing. It's like, forgetting how to eat, or how to sleep."
>>25974654
She grimaces at Renee, "Oh. Well, they were staring at US too so, you're not alone you know."
She looks at the eyes, turning her head, "Why are none of them looking towards the east... or, whatever that direction is, I'm saying it's east."
She looks at the east, then towards the eyes. She grins, "Hmm... you dont' like looking this way?"
She moves over to them, and starts to rotate towards the east, one by one, pushing her horns hard into each one at an angle to start turning.
"I wonder why?"
>Need to roll for moving the eyes?
>>25974654
Observer takes some time to inspect the room, trying to figure out if there may be more to it.
>Appraise: Spotting
[1d10+4]
>>25974654
"Hmm? Well I was lifting all those ponies, probably did something. Barely felt them at all, these past days must have caught up."
Pryce's horn glows as he pulls off his bracelet, giving it a twirl as he attempts to conjure out a sizable heater.
>Hat magic [1d10]
"This should cover you until I get back. Others got lost or something."
Pryce says as he goes to leave, putting his bracelet back on after whatever he conjured comes out.
"And I heard some catchy tune while walking through town."
He spreads his wings and takes off back to the city.
>>25974654
>>25974738
''hmmmn,I wonder why they don't like looking over there too...'' He gets a wicked grin on his face before whispering in Flaming's ear
''Maybe there's Doom waiting over there''
>>25974804
She tenses up, staring at Novelus with a scrunched up muzzle and a cold glare.
"Not. Funny."
>>25974865
''Teehee, I apologize, I couldn't resist! You just look so adorable when you are angry like that'' He boops her muzzle
>>25974654
"Maybe..." Amy ponders out loud. "They were staring at Renee's body because it's like them... Like it's missing something. Maybe whatever it's missing is over that way they aren't looking. Or, maybe Renee's head is over there!"
"Wait..." Amy scratches her head. "Does that mean they're just not looking back the way we came? Like, the way we need to get through?"
>>25974738
"Oh, I'd never forget how to eat! That's too important!" Amy says conversationally. "I forget how to sleep all the time, though. That one's not even that hard!"
>>25974900
As her muzzle is booped, she freezes up, shaking away at the hoof with her horns. "Grrrr. I'm NOT adorable when I'm angry, I'm terrifying." She scrunches her muzzle again. "See?"
>>25974909
She nods, "Of course, eating is WAY too important. That's why..."
"Wait, no, you forget how to sleep?! I... that's just silly, all you do is lay down and close your eyes." She narrows her eyes, "Are you playing a joke on me Amy?"
>>25974654
>http://pastebin.com/BvRw8Lft
the scene plays out before Shei's eyes, in its cessation the kid is returned to his body.
He holds the drawing in his hooves. He looks at it with a mix of feelings, all coalescing into turmoil. To griffons goats are nothing but beasts of burden aren't they, of course Gabriele would have similar thoughts on the matter. Anyone who is weak is disposable, that is their code. Shei's thoughts linger at the absence of the father. But despite this the feelings that welled within him in Gabby's memory were beautiful. "So this what it's like to have a mother.." a few tears drop from his cheek staining the drawing. "I miss you m-mommy" Shei's voice trembles with emotion.
Being in Gabby's home was too much for him to handle. Shei's bolts out of the house rubbing the tears from his eyes.
>Leaving to Jailer's breakroom
>>25974969
''Terrifyingly adorable, you are...'' He covers his own muzzle with his hoof, trying to cover his huge smile
>>25974738
It's difficult, but you manage to force one eye to roll in the direction of the rightmost tunnel. But the instant you let it go, it spasms, as if it hates looking that direction, and faces north instead.
>>25974766
You detect an enchantment on the room. The eyes seem compelled to point in every direction that an illusion exists. It's some kind of biological defense mechanism for keeping intruders lost. The enchantment also seems to reset itself and rearrange the direction of the illusions, to keep intruders trapped.
>>25974775
Somehow, you pull a medium-sized magitech heater, complete with battery, out of your bracelet and toss it into the room. "Well ain't that just mighty conven-- wait hold up!" Onion says.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6GD9uZq5kQ
As you emerge over the wall, that bizarre music comes to your ears again. The streets below are unrecognizable. The cobblestone is totally obscured by a blanket of writhing bodies; demons, fusings of animal and equine bodies. Many are hideous, composed of foul-smelling sea creatures and plants. Far more are here than you've ever seen in the Ayakashi Salon, enough that they obscure the streets almost entirely. They spread like an infection across the city. Their point of origin seems to be the Ayakashi Salon, which now moves through the swarm of demons, on the back of an enormous crab-like monster. That curious beat comes from the Salon. You notice that the demons are rampaging in time with the music.
You notice Splitz's landripper caught up in the tide of demon bodies spreading over the streets, completely at their mercy. Near the hypnagogium, Ecclesians A and F are on a rooftop, shooting desperately at any demons that try to climb up after them.
(1/2)
>>25974971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj8NkhyAeec
In the empty jailhouse, you see a much, much older and exhausted-looking Gertrude hunched over a table, a half-empty mug next to her. Several more empty mugs have been scattered all over the floor. Her face is wrought with wrinkles of stress; talons are knit tightly together, with a look of worry on her face. Ancient-looking, unfolded drawings are scattered on the table before her. You recognize some of them as the ones you saw in your vision. They look at least a decade or so old by now. Tiny teardrops dot them and the table.
Unlike before, this vision has more color and detail. The sound of wooden clacks draws near, though you cannot tell from where.
>>25975005
The orange-red buffalo turns a little more red in the face as he continues to call her adorable, lowering her horns and grumbling.
"You know, I may not want this place to hurt you, but, I don't think I would mind if I hurt you just a little."
>>25975017
As the eye darts back into position, she shouts, "HEY! I worked really hard to turn you around, you keep facing this direction!" She pounds her head against the eye statue, then turns to look at the east tunnel.
"I wonder what has them so scared in there." She asks aloud, a little unnerved about heading down there herself at the moment. She moves slightly towards the tunnel, trying to see if she can catch a glimpse of anything terrifying
[1d10] Perceiving inside the tunnel, not fully entering
>>25975017
Pryce hovers over the sea of demons, staring down at them.
"Huh, good thing I didn't melt all that ice. They'd be slipping and tripping all over the water that it'd make."
Focus puled to the salon by the music, Pryce glides on down to the crab beast and heads inside.
>>25975017
"We must head east." He says, making his way down the east path.
>>25975046
Pity fills Shei, more than that a deep sadness. "I miss her too" Shei-sher says softly before hugging Gertrude. She likely is a figment of his imagination, but it doesn't matter.
>>25975095
>>25975017
Novelus simply observes Flaming's antics with the statues
''Alright alright, I'll stop now...And regarding the tunnel, I think this might be our sign that we must absolutely follow that tunnel...What do you think Obs-''
>>25975118
''Well there you hav eit!'' he waltz behind the Voidling
>>25975132
>>25975118
She grunts at Novelus, "Thank you."
As Observer mentions their path, she jumps up beside him, "We do? But, all of those eyes seem to not like this tunnel."
>>25975118
>>25975017
"K," Amy says, following him east.
>>25974969
"You're totally wrong on this one!" Amy says defensively. "I lay awake at night all the time, just completely confused. Like, I'm doing everything right but I just won't fall asleep!"
>>25975163
Shorthorns gasps, "Oooh, that's what you mean? I do that too sometimes, but, I don't think I forgot how to sleep. It's more like, my mind wants to sleep, but my body doesn't want to, they disagree."
>>25975120
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO1QBbfdqIg
A curious light fills the room from the entranceway as you hug Gertrude. From outside the doorway, a marionette flops down, its head and limps jumping about goofily. Its body is that of a doe, with a set of flower-bearing antlers. Two lit paper lanterns droop from its antlers, and it wears a sheet of moss like a robe. It has a regal, yet dainty and frail air about it. It flops into the room, warming the air, and leaving behind a sweet, wood scent.
As it twitches into the room, it fixates on you, its head making small, twitchy quarter-circle turns, in time with an unseen beat.
>>25975111
The inside of the salon is more or less as you left it, though now it is packed to the brim with countless demons, making navigation through the bathhouse rather difficult. (Roll from now on)
You feel right at home among the writhing crowds. A sickly smell like molding sweet fruit fills the air as the demons writhe, dance, and bash each other about the heads, singing and dancing feverishly. You landed on the top balcony, and the music seems to come from below.
(1/2)
>>25975220
>>25975151
>>25975132
>>25975118
>>25975095
>>25975163
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5s5s_30n_s
The eastern tunnel becomes thin again as you enter, forcing you to move in single-file. A sense of rightness comes to Flaming; her senses realign themselves, no longer adjusted by degrees as they were before. A vile scent like rotting, molded fruit comes from down the tunnel.
Eventually you reach a cramped room which you enter single-file. An enormous yellowing seashell, like a full moon, sits in one half of the room, partially blocking the entranceway. From its opening protrude limb-like structures, in various shades of pinks and browns. The limbs appear half-eaten and bony, belonging to various creatures. The mass of limbs is hard to focus on, with portions of them rising and falling, looking like they could be the head or torso of whatever creature resides in the shell.
Among the mass of limbs is a single open space where no limbs lie. It's a small circle of completely uncovered space. In front of that uncovered space is a small, raised dias. In that dias is a wooden circular object, like a foal's toy. It is painted like the sun.
>Blue circle is the safe area
>>25975235
''What in the bloody hell is that...'' He glares at the mass of limbs, almost having a headache
''Ugh...I wish SHei was here to use Pupil...Observer, we will need your help in this...Just...Explain what that is, please...''
[1d10+2] inspire
>>25975235
Observer looks for a possible safe way to the safe area.
>Perception
[1d10+3]
>>25975235
Flaming's eyes close and her limbs waver as she feels her senses restored, a breath escaping her muzzle.
"Ah! Ah... my head!" She smiles, "I-I can see straight again! Finally!"
As she comes across the massive of bony and rotted limbs extending from the shell, she freezes up at the entrance. "And now I wish I almost didn't... what is this monstrosity?"
She growls, looking at the disgusting mass of decayed limbs, "It's an abomination. But, I'm guessing that star is what we're looking for."
>>25975235
>>25975269
>>25975321
"Well... the only thing stopping us are these limbs, yes? Can't we just smash through all of them? Burn them all?"
>>25975220
"Hmm, must be a popular song. Now I gotta see who's playing it."
Pryce heads into the den, moving through the crowd with the flow. The beat and movements rub off on him, dancing his way through the packed mass of bodies.
>[1d10]
>>25975351
''Hmmmn...We could TRY, but worst case scenario, we get painfully dismembered an our limbs end up joining that mass...Let's use our heads and hope Observer can tell us something useful out of it, yes?''
>>25975193
"Nah," Amy says waving a dismissive hoof. "It's not like that. It's like... There's something I'm usually doing, but I'm not doing that. So, I don't sleep. But, if I remember what that thing is, then I will. But, I can't."
>>25975235
Amy walks into the room and sees all the limbs.
"I wonder if they hug!" she says excitedly almost immediately.
She bounces toward the limbs to hug them.
[1d10] for inevitability.
>>25975424
"I think I see... hmm. I guess I could say I forget how to sleep too, but, it still sounds weird to say it like that. I mean, you eventually remember after a few hours don't you?"
>>25975399
"I still think smashing is a good idea. I think it's because my sight's returned, but, I'm in a big smashing mood ever since coming to this awful place..."
>>25975424
As she dives into the limbs, Shorthorns' eyes open wide and she shouts, "AMY!? They're not going to hug you, they want to drag you in with them! It's the worst kind of hug!"
>>25975453
"Nah, I've spent entire nights not knowing what to do," Amy responds almost sadly.
>>25975453
"Sounds snugly to meeeeee," she sings with a floaty hop to her huggy fate.
>>25975453
''hmn...trysaving up all those smashy urges for somewhere else if you could Flaming...This part might require thinking, planning, reflexes, teamwork...''
>>25975424
''And not jumping STRAIGHT INTO THE MASS OF LIMBS AMY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?''
>>25975220
>>25975220
As Shei hugs Gertrude a brisk light is shone on his face. he lifts his face from Gertrude's neck and is awe-struck to see "The Phomesa."
Shei-Sher ambles toward it gently. A smile brightens his face. "Less glorious than the books described, you're awfully cute I think, if that compensates hehehe." Shei chuckles heartily "I wager you are whats been showing me Gabby's memories.. Thank you. Thank you very much. Even if it is just a dream. I wish I could tell her farewell."
Shei-sher looks up to the Phomesa, leaving the sad thoughts behind to ask "Oh! Great Phomesa I beseech thee! Vanquish the nightmares that trap my friends. Deliver sanity to the Hypnagogium, we are all very scared. I so wish to see my family, I couldn't bear to lose them in this imaginary labyrinth even if it it brought me a visages of gabby for all time."
Shei has his hooves clasped together as if he was praying.
>>25975269
Inspire succeeds. In backing away from the creature, Ecc. B bumps into you. She nearly shrieks, but Renee runs over and stuffs her slimy hoof into Ecc. B's mouth. "You'll wake her." Renee scolds. "The young especially need sleep."
Renee lets Ecc. B go, and kneels by the limbs of the creature, whispering a lullaby. Meanwhile, Ecc. B spits up some silver, static goo.
>>25975321
>>25975351
The easiest way to get over the limbs in front would be to jump over them. Or, one of you could climb on another's shoulders and climb along the wall. It's squishy and could support your weight... for a time.
>>25975476
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQoqR4CKzBM
As Amy approaches the creature, a highly soothing, relaxing scent wafts from the limbs and enraptures Amy. Her muscles totally relax, and she falls, more than lands, on the creature. To onlookers, Amy's color begins to darken, turning grayish, then a dark red. Very slowly, of course.
Amy feels completely relaxed and calm by the sweet scent of the body. A very soothing humming comes to her. It is at once like the gentle sway of the waves, and a softer humming of the Nanny.
>>25975380
The writhing of the crowd suddenly flops over to the side as the salon nearly tips over from the writhing of the demons outside; something must have caused the giant crab carrying the salon to stumble. As you flop over, the crowds in the hallways bump and slam into you. You lose 4 Hits, but you only feel more pumped and ready for action.
As you head down the stairs, you by chance encounter the reverse centaur that you saw earlier, the one that wanted you to feel up his "washboard abs". Now he has taken a different kind of physique; he appears to have melted into the walls, his skin covering the staircase to the downstairs, like a tarp. His abs and muscles are even larger than before, however. When he sees you coming, he points at you in challenge. "You still owe yourself a feel, pretty-colt." he says with a drunken slur.
(1/2
>>25975523
The creature twitches and jingles with a clacking of wood. It reaches downward and taps your hooves like a playful cat, parting them from their beseeching pose.
As it moves back, it looks outside, where it has begun to snow. Black ice virulently begins to encase the buildings. Jutting around in a pantomime of panic, the Phomesa pulls you outside. It points upward and downward, both at the crack and the ground floor, where the stage you emerged from is. Up above you recognize the voices of Amy, Novelus, Flaming, and Observer. Below you hear no voices, but recognize the life-force of Pryce, but it seems to be raging, more loud and powerful than it is normally. The Phomesa looks at you questioningly, jingling in place as the ice spreads.
>>25975476
>>25975503
"It's TOO snugly! You're going to get snuggled to death, come back!"
>>25975600
As the limbs all envelop Amy, Shorthorn's eyes grow wide with fear as the coat of her friend turns a deep gray then dark red. Just like the others.
"No! NOOOOO!" Amy growls, jumping up at the mass of limbs that currently hold Amy hostage in her attempt to hug, "YOU'RE NOT TAKING HER AWAY FROM ME TOO!"
[1d10+6] All or Nothing, using Charge to attack this mass of limbs holding her (Inspire succeeded last turn)
"NOVELUS, OBSERVER! I'm going to get her free, pull her away after I break these off!"
>>25975600
Novelus holds his head in his hooves ''Oh by the crown no...'' Novelus rushes as fast and as silently as he possibly can, keeping in mind Renne's comment of it being asleep as he tries to reach and pull Amy to him
>>25975659
''Flaming Dont-Nevermind...'' he sighs, knowing that she became a force that could not be stopped
[1d10+1]
>>25975600
"I knew this was the right decision!" Amy says with supreme satisfaction as she is enveloped with snuggles.
Of course, no one can probably here her since she was seemingly just carried away at the speed of light.
"All demons need is a little love and affection, right?" she says to her hug partner.
>>25975600
Pryce stumbles and falls as the crowds shift, but springs back up, horn casting a white glow over himself to keep him refreshed as he keeps moving down towards the music.
>Prayer for Deliverance [1d10]
>[1d10]
"Did you splay yourself out like this just over that?Could have just asked again you know."
Pryce comments as he descends down the staircase, running his hoof over whichever wall is now the centaur's abs.
>>25975600
>>25975659
Observer climbs into the Golem, trying to use it to help grab Ecc. B. to bring them to a more safe spot.
>Rescue rangers!
[1d10]
>>25975685
or was it really
[1d10]
>>25975618
Shei-sher chuckles "hehe Sir Etac is enjoying the Blood Moon I imagine. I have to admit, I'm a mite bit envious. Whatever comes his way I am certain he can handle it."
Shei-Sher points skyward "Please Help me save them! And restore the Hypnagogium."
>>25975659
>>25975698
Those abs are spotless. As you descend the staircase, someone sticks their leg out and trips you. You tumble head-over-hooves down the stairs, eventually having the poor fortune to land on a turtle-demon's back with a loud crunch.
>Helpless
To make matters worse, someone slaps a sticky sheet of parchment onto your side. It reads "I suk but"
>>25975720
The Phomesa makes a pitter-patter sound, patting you all over like a playful cat, until it eventually picks you up. Holding you in a steady embrace, it ascends into the sky, toward the crack in the sky. As you approach, your vision seems to turn concave; the sky seems so immense, the stars so innumerable and the crack so vast, that your eyes need to see around, and almost behind you, to take all of it in.
>>25975659
You smash into the mass of limbs with a hideous creaking and snapping of bone and flesh, scattering the stuff everywhere. The smell of nasty seawater fills the room.
>>25975686
>>25975704
Amy slumps and slips off the limbs as Flaming breaks them, while Observer flies in and scoops up Amy's limp body, still totally relaxed and languid. For a moment, Amy's vision clouds over and begins to shake, blotted out by momentary infections of blinding static and mosaic over her eyes. The red-shifting of her body momentarily halts as she is pulled away from the source.
>>25975707
>>25975704
>>25975685
>>25975686
>>25975659
A low-pitched, gargling, barely-feminine grunt comes from beneath and around you. Those on the ground feel a wet, vile stirring beneath their hooves, like a thousand rats rushing around and beneath them. Behind you, the tunnel back to the room with eyes extends, and extends until you can barely see the end of it. From the mouth of the shell leaks a steady, accelerating stream of seawater.
Renee gasps lightly, in apparent pleasure. She imitates the sound of the seawater with glee. "Plip plip, drip, splish..."
>Paused
